Mormon church closes all temples

Mormon church closes all temples

With roughly a third of the world under some form of lockdown, the White House and Senate leaders reached agreement on a landmark $2 trillion stimulus package to combat the economic impact of coronavirus.The White House coronavirus coordinator asked people who have recently been in New York, where the death toll continues to climb, to…

The White House coronavirus coordinator asked people who have recently been in New York, where the death toll continues to climb, to quarantine themselves for 14 days, because they may have been exposed before leaving.

President Donald Trump is pushing for the country to get back to business by April 12, Easter Sunday, when he said he would like to see churches full of people. The World Health Organization, meanwhile, has warned that the U.S. could become the pandemic’s new epicenter.

And as the number of cases in the U.K. reached 8,000 on Wednesday, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, was confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus.

CORRECTION (March 25, 2020, 12:45 p.m. ET): An earlier version of the headline on this article misstated the status of the federal stimulus plan. The White House and Senate leaders have reached a deal, but the Senate has not yet passed the stimulus plan.

Phil Helsel

3h ago / 3:28 AM UTC

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Wednesday that all remaining open temples will temporarily close due to continued concerns about the coronavirus illness COVID-19.

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Wednesday all temple activity church-wide would be suspended at the end of the day.

The First Presidency said the move was made after careful consideration and out of a desire to be good global citizens. Health officials stressed the need to decrease gatherings to slow the spread of the virus.

“This is a temporary adjustment, and we look forward to the day when the temples will reopen,” church leaders said.

Due to the continued concerns related to COVID-19, all remaining open temples will temporarily close by end of day Wednesday, March 25, 2020. Please see the article for the First Presidency’s full letter. https://t.co/vrzedPP6ck

— The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (@Ch_JesusChrist) March 26, 2020

Dartunorro Clark

5h ago / 1:52 AM UTC

Trump approves disaster declaration for North Carolina

President Trump on Wednesday approved a disaster declaration for North Carolina as the state grapples with the coronavirus outbreak.

In less than a week, Trump has declared disasters in New York, California, Washington, Louisiana, Iowa and Florida.

Corky Siemaszko

6h ago / 1:06 AM UTC

Americans coping with coronavirus are clogging toilets with wipes and T-shirts

Toilet paper moves out from a cutting machine at the Tissue Plus factory in Bangor, Maine, on March 18, 2020.Robert F. Bukaty / AP

The all-caps message on the new sign that went up in Redding, California, after the coronavirus came to town could not be any clearer: ONLY FLUSH TOILET PAPER.

It made its debut last week on the corner of Smile Place and Russell Street after a desperate soul clogged one of the city’s sewer lines by wiping with pieces of shredded T-shirt — and flushing them down the toilet, the city confirmed.

NEW YORK — Chef Floyd Cardoz, who competed on “Top Chef,” won “Top Chef Masters” and operated successful restaurants in both India and New York, died Wednesday of complications from the coronavirus, his company said in a statement. He was 59.

Cardoz had traveled from Mumbai to New York through Frankfurt, Germany, on March 8. He was admitted a week ago to Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, New Jersey, with a fever and subsequently tested positive for Covid-19, the statement said.

May the SPRING Spirit Make Your Home Smarter, Brighter, Livelier, & Safer!!!

Avail NOW of the Extraordinary Rates

Watch: Barcelona police, residents applaud hospital workers

Citizens of Barcelona expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the efforts being made by doctors and nurses treating COVID-19 at Hospital Clinic, the city’s main hospital. The daily tribute to health workers during the ongoing health crisis in Spain takes place at 8 p.m. throughout the country.

Courtney Kube

6h ago / 12:28 AM UTC

Army calls on retired medical personnel to assist coronavirus response

The Army is calling on retired medical personnel to help in its efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

“The U.S. Army is reaching out to gauge the interest of our retired officers, noncommissioned officers and soldiers who would be willing to assist with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic response effort should their skills and expertise be required,” it said in a message sent to retirees.

Coronavirus could become seasonal like the flu, Fauci warns

There are increasing signs that COVID-19 will become a seasonal illness, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday during the White House’s daily task force briefing.

“What we’re starting to see now in the Southern Hemisphere and southern African countries is that we’re having cases appearing as they go into their winter season,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said. “If in fact they have a substantial outbreak, it will be inevitable that we need to be prepared” for the next cycle.

It’s been suggested that transmission of the coronavirus will slow in warmer months, similar to influenza, which typically spreads from November to April or May. Although it’s far from certain that the spread of coronavirus will ease up in summer on its own, if it does, then the U.S. needs to be ready for its return.

“It totally emphasizes the need to do what we’re doing to develop a vaccine, testing it quickly and try to get it ready so we’ll have a vaccine available in the next cycle,” Fauci said.

More than 100 employees between three different Boston-area hospitals have tested positive for coronavirus, according to NBC Boston Wednesday.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital reported at least 45 employees have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease associated with coronavirus. Boston Medical Center said 15 of its employees have tested positive.

Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the top facilities in the country, said Wednesday that 41 of its staff members have tested positive as well. The hospital said in a statement to NBC Boston that “it is believed that the vast majority of these individuals did not contract the virus at work.”

In a more than four-minute-long video posted Tuesday to her Instagram account, the Bronx rapper said “45,” referring to President Donald Trump, has advised people not to get tested for COVID-19, the disease associated with the coronavirus, if they do not have symptoms.

“But if a celebrity is saying, ‘Hey, listen. I don’t have no symptoms. I’m feeling good. I’m feeling healthy. I don’t feel like nothing, but I went and got tested and I’m positive for the coronavirus,’ That cause confusion,” she said in the expletive-laden video during which she wears a mask.

Small businesses take desperate measures to get through pandemic

The new stimulus package includes hundreds of billions of dollars for small businesses, but is it enough? GoFundMe has launched a “Small Business Relief Initiative,” and many workers are having to get creative to survive.

Ben Kesslen

8h ago / 11:09 PM UTC

As Florida coronavirus cases surge, spring breakers express regret

A group of spring break revelers pose for a photograph on the beach, on March 17, 2020, in Pompano Beach, Fla.Julio Cortez / AP

The clip went viral. “If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I’m not gonna let it stop me from partying,” Brady Sluder, a spring breaker in Miami, said last week.